Folding support



S. J. SUFFA AND F. RUZICKA.

FOLDING SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1921.

1,412,377, Patefited Apr. 11, 1922.

z;- ATTORNEY.

STEVEN J. surFA AND anemi- FOLDING- Application filed July 19,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, STEVEN J. Serra and FRANK Ruzrorni, citizens of the Qnited States, and residents New York city, county of New York, and State of lIew York, have invented certain new useful improvements in Folding Supports, fully described and represented in the folio ing specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates-to folding supports for cooking utensils, and the object of the invention is to provide an improved article of this kind for outdoor use by campers, automobile tourists and others which may be readily set up for use and folded for transportation, and shall be of simple constru tion, strong, and of relatively light weight. A full understanding of the invention can best be given by detailed description in connection with drawings showing an approved embodiment of the invention, and such a desorption ill now ce given in connection with the accompanying drawings; in whichi Fig. Tie a perspective view of the support as'it appears when extended and set up tor use; Fig. '2 is an enlarged view of the support in elevation as it appears when folded;

Fig, 3 is a further enlarged top plan view of the center piece and supporting arms extending therefrom the arms being broken oh"; and

Fig. A} is a detail view partly in section showing part of one of the tripod legs, one of the main supporting arms, the center piece, and one of the'intermediate support mg arms.

Referring to the drawings, the device shown comprises three tripod legs l, 1, l, pivotally connected at their upper ends to a pivot piece, or head piece, 2 so thatthe legs may be extended as shown in or folded together as shown in Fig. 2. The head piece 2 may b of any suitable torm to provide for the pivotal connection the legs thereto, but is desirably made as slur-.vn withradial slots into which ends o! the legs 1 extend and aresecured by pivot pins so that the legs are held from twisting relatively to the headpiece and to each other. The lower ends of the legs "e suit ably pointed to insureholding engagement with the ground or rock and to permitpenetration into the ground it desired Specification of ?ATENT OFFICE.

RUZICKA, OE NEW YORK, N. Y.

SUPPORT.

Letters P n Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

1921. Serial No. 435,900.

Pivotally connected to each of the legs 1 is a supporting arm 3 the other or inner end of which is pivotally connected to a center piece a, the pivotal connections of the arms to the legs and to the center piece being such that when the legs are extended and the stand or supportset up in vertical position, the supporting arms will extend in a horizontal plane, and that when the legs are folded together the center piece and inner ends of the supporting arms may move upward to talre the position shown in Fig. 2 with the arms extending approximately parallel to the legs. hIeans are provided for preventing the arms and center piece from moving downward from supporting position when the support is set up, and for this purpose the pivotal connections of the supporting arms to the legs and to the center piece are most desirably formed to prevent such excess downward movement of the arms and center piece. In the construction shown, the fiat outer ends of the arms extend between side pieces or ears 5 riveted or otherwise secured to the legs and are connected to such by pivot pins 6, and the extreme outer end of each arm is formed to engage the leg as shown at 7 in Fig. Al when the arm is in supporting position as shown in Figs. 1 and a, the end of the arm in engagement with the leg then acting as a stop to prevent further downward movement of the arm. The center piece 4- is most desirably formed with radial slots to receive the fiat ends of the supporting arms, the end of each arm being secured in its slot by a pivot pin 8 and the extreme inner end of each arm being formed to engage the base of the slot as shown in Fig. i when the arms are in supporting position, thus providing a stop to prevent further downward movement of the arm. The arms and center piece thus form a rigid structure which would retain its horizontal position under the weight of a cooking utensil placed thereon independently of the movement limiting connection of too outer ends of the supporting arms to the legs or 'other means which might be provided for limiting excess downward movement of the arms and center piece.

In ord r to provide a better support for a cooking utensil or whatever may be set on the arms intermediate supporting arms 10 are provided to extend outward from the center piece between thcarms 8'when the device is set up for use. These intermediate arms 10, which are desirably shorter than the arms 3, are pivotally connected to the center piece so that when the device is folded as shown in Fig. 2 they may be folded up ward as shown in said figure to stand approximately parallel to the arms 3 and tripod legs ,1, and when the device is set up for use they will swing outward into horizontal supporting position as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4a These intermediate arms may be pivotally connected to the center piece 4- in any suitable manner, but as shown, each such arm 10 is formed with a slotted inner end which receives and is connected by a pivot pin 11 to a flatend or tongue extending from a stud 12 secured to the center piece 4, the tongue being formed as shown at 13 to engage the base of the slot in the end of the arm 10 to limit the downward movement of the arm from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 1. The studs 12 are conveniently secured to the center piece by means of short shanks entered into holes in the center piece, as indicated by dotted lines for one of the studs in Fig. 8, and secured each by a pin 14;.

The tongue and slot pivotal connections of the arms 3 to the legs and to the center piece and of the legs to the head piece insure rigidity of the device as a whole when set up, preventing relative movement of the legs, arms and center piece except in the directions required for setting up and for folding the device; also the center piece is held from tilting under excess downward pressure applied to one of the arms 10.

The device is folded compactly together as shown in Fig, 2 for transportation, and is set up for use by merely pulling the tri-- pod legs 1 apart, causing the center piece and supporting arms 3 to move downward to the position shown in Fig. 1 and then swinging the intermediate arms 10 outward and downward to their supporting position. The device may then be placed in position over a fire or over the place where the fire is to be built, and it provides a convenient and secure stand or support for any cookving utensil or other article which it is de-.

sired to subject to the heat of the tire. To fold the device up again, it is necessary only to givethe center piece a push upward, fold the tripod legs together, and swing the intermediate arms 10 upward, thus returning the device to its folded condition as shown in Fig. 2. The various parts of the device may be made of any suitable metal or other suitable heat resisting material.

It will be understood that various changes may be made in the device from the particular construction shown to illustratethe invention without departing from the invention as claimed.

. What is claimed is:

1. A folding support for cooking utensils, from moving downward beyond a common comprising a plurality of legs adapted to be spaced apart when the support is set up for use and to be brought together in parallel relation when the support is folded, a plurality of supporting arms pivotally connected one to each of said legs, a center piece to which the inner ends of said sup porting arms are pivotally connected, the supporting arms being adapted to fold upward and the center piece to move upward when the legs are closed together, a plurality of intermediate supporting arms pivotally connected to the center piece between the first said arms and adapted to fold upward when the legs are closed together, and means for maintaining the supporting arms in a common horizontal plane when the legs are spaced apart and the support stands upright.

2. A folding support for cooking utensils, comprising a plurality of legs pivotally connected together at their upper ends, a plurality of supporting arms pivotally connected one to each of said legs a center piece to which the inner ends of said supporting arms are pivotally connected, the supporting arms being adapted to fold upward and the center piece to move upward when the legs are closed together, a plurality of intermediate supporting arms pivotally connected to the centerpiece between the first said arms and adapted to fold upward when the legs are closed together, and means for maintaining the supporting arms in a common horizontal plane when the legs are spaced apart a-nd'the support stands upright.

3. A folding support for cooking utensils, comprising tripod legs pivotally connected together at their upper ends, supporting arms pivotally connected one to each of said legs at a point intermediate its ends, a center piece to which the inner ends of said supporting arms are pivotally connected, the supporting arms being adapted to fold upward and the center piece to move upward when the legs are closed together, and a plurality of intermediate supporting arms pivotally connected to the center piece between the first'said arms by means formed to permit them to be folded inward when the legs are closed together.

4:. A folding support for cooking utensils, comprising tripod legs pivotally connected together at their upper ends, supporting arms pivotally connected one to each of said legs at a point intermediate its ends, a center piece to which the inner endsof said supporting arms are pivotally connected, the supporting arms being adapted to fold upward and the center piece to more no ward when thelegs are closed together and thepivotal connections of-the supporting arms being formed to prevent the arms plane, and a plurality of intermediate supporting arms ipivotally connected to the center piece between the first said arms by means formed to permit them to fold upward when the legs are closed together and to prevent them from moving downward below the common plane of the first said supporting arms when the support is set up for use.

5. A -folding support for cooking utensils, comprising tripod legs pivotally connected together at their upper ends, supporting arms pivotally connected one to each of said legs at a point intermediate its ends, a center piece to which the inner ends of said supporting arms are pivotally connected, the supporting arms being adapted to fold upward and the center piece to move upward when the legs are closed together, and

a plurality of intermediate supporting arms In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEVEN J. SUFFA, FRANK RUZICKA.

Witnesses: V

A. L. KENT, A. S. EBERHARDT. 

